"Statistics published in Forbes magazine's annual survey of America's billionaires expose this little known but shocking reality. In 1982 there were 13 billionaires; in 1983 … 15; in 1984 … 12; in 1985 … 13; in 1986 … 26; in 1987 … 49. Note carefully that prior to 1986 the number of American billionaires had averaged around 13. Then the Reagan administration drastically altered the wealth distribution patterns by introducing new tax legislation favoring the top 1%. In 1986 the number of billionaires DOUBLED, and by 1987 the number of billionaires had virtually QUADRUPLED to 49!! By 1988, there were 68 individuals or families that each had net wealth in excess of $1,000,000,000. By 1989, the number had risen precipitously to 82. And by 1990, the Forbes survey reported the staggering total of 99!! [See the graph below which summarizes the results from 1982 to 1990.]"

[See the chart below which summarizes the result of the Forbes list from 1996 to 2005.]

423 people (1996)691 people (2005)

Year

Number of Billionaires (US)

1982

13

1983

15

1984

12

1985

13

1986

26

1987

49

1988

68

1989

82

1990

99

Summary of Forbes World's Richest People

Year

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Number of Billionaires (worldwide)

423

259

230

298

322

538

497

476

587

691

A billionaire is a person who has more than one billion US dollars. But in
order to be on the American business and financial magazine Forbes' annual list
of the world's billionaires, a billionaire not only has to make a billion dollars
but also maintain it.

Over time, the number of billionaires in the world has been steadily increasing.
In the United States, this number had increased from a couple to a couple hundred
in just twenty years or so. Worldwide, this number had increased by a couple
hundred in just a few years. There are billionaires from approximately 47 countries
in the world. Now, the United States has the most number of billionaires, followed
by Asia, Europe, and Latin America. These billionaires are usually people, or
tycoons, from big businesses and industries such as technology, steel, gas,
retail, and finance like Microsoft's William Gates who has held 1st place in
Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires 11 years in a row. Some people
inherit a large fortune from their family like the Waltons from the death of
Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.

In 2005, the 691 billionaires in the world is approximately 0.00001% of the
world population. The total net worth of these 691 billionaires is $2.2 trillion,
which increased from last year's $300 billion, and is approximately 21% of the
United States' GDP. In the future, this trend of increasing numbers of billionaires
and increasing wealth of these billionaires will continue through advanced technology
and communications.